After formed head coach Dan Colella passed away from a battle with cancer, it was unclear whose shoulders the future of Duke swimming and diving would rest upon.
Two school records fell on the first night of the women’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. Then, over the next four days, Duke repeated the feat — and topped it all off with the highest finish at the meet in program history.
Thanks to their performances at the meet, Watson and O’Meara will now return to Athens next week with eleven fellow Blue Devil swimmers to compete in the Women’s NCAA Championships.
Five days. Five medals. One record. At the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships, Duke made every lap count.
Even as four years of Blue Devil swimming and diving neared a nostalgic end, the spirited seniors prepared to deliver one last victory at home. And prove it they did. Duke defeated Queens 171.5-63.5 on the women’s side, while the men took down the Royals 127-109 for their first win of the season.
A rival one day and Olympians the next, Blue Devil swimmers and divers had their hands full this weekend as they hosted back-to-back home meets in Taishoff Aquatics Center. Duke battled closely with North Carolina and Texas, trading tight finishes with the Tar Heels and Longhorns before ultimately losing to both by slim margins.
Duke traveled to Columbia, S.C., for a spring slate opener that pitted it against both South Carolina and UNC Asheville. On the women’s side, victory was swift and decisive.
At both the Wolfpack and Tennessee Invitationals, Duke swim and dive continued to establish itself as a formidable opponent.
A number of Blue Devil divers have already proven themselves to be valuable contributors in the 2023-24 aquatics season. The Blue Zone breaks down the need-to-know names and stats from the first few weeks of competition.
Despite Duke falling to the Wolfpack and Bulldogs on both sides of the meet, Friday night saw several inspired swims from the women and an overall impressive performance from the men.
Showing off at home for the first time this season, the Blue Devils brought fierce competition to their matchup against the Seahawks. The women’s team dominated in the pool with big wins and impressive bursts of speed, while the men’s team battled through several close races but ultimately fell short.
The Blue Devils commenced their 2023-24 season Saturday in an away matchup against Virginia Tech. While the No. 15 women’s team emerged victorious 183-117, the men came up on the short end of a 166-120 score.
Duke is poised to enter the 2023-24 swim and dive season as an aquatic powerhouse boasting a talented younger class that will be looking to make a splash this winter.
Duke swimming and diving announced Monday that Brian Barnes is its new head coach, just the sixth in program history.
The Blue Devil women and men finished fifth and 10th, respectively, at the ACC championships in Greensboro.
Several younger Blue Devils turned heads as the season comes to an end. Duke now gears up for ACC championships next week.
Although Duke came away empty-handed from Chapel Hill, it did not leave without setting off some fireworks for spectators to enjoy.
Duke kicked off the 2023 portion of its season Jan. 14 with its first of two Triangle-area matchups.
Doak Finch, an associate head coach for the Blue Devils since 2017, has been named Duke's interim head coach for the 2022-23 season.
Colella, the fifth head coach in the program’s history, has led the team for 16 seasons with an eye toward talent development and strong postseason performances. Under his leadership, Duke men’s and women’s teams have made NCAA Championship appearances for the past 13 seasons
